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About The Name

People ask me all the time about the name of my blog, Little Hollywood. Little Hollywood was the name of the shantytown down along the shores of what is now Capitol Lake, a place where some lively characters of Olympia lived. It was our "Hooverville" from the 1920s through the early 1950s. Well, as we know, our area has a lot of interesting, talented, educated characters, and the point of this blog is to help shine the light on some of our "stars" that might not ordinarily be heard through corporate media outlets. So, the name has a double meaning. And since it's my blog, it's Janine's Little Hollywood. Enjoy!

About Me

Thank you for visiting my blog! As a photographer, I also have a website, http://www.littlehollywoodphotography.com. I love Olympia and meet a lot of people who tell me great stories. I love to learn, and hope this blog of local news will be just another source of information for you. Please don't be shy to leave comments. I have set it up so the comments are private first, until I publish them, so if you don't want your comment published, just tell me so. And oh yeah, I'd appreciate it if corporate media or other news outlets did not steal my stories. Please ask if you'd like to reprint my story in your publication or at least give credit where credit is due if you read it here first. Associated Press standards consider blogs a legitimate news source and should be treated as such. Thank you!

Sunday, March 15, 2015

The Port of Olympia citizen's advisory committee will be missing one member when it meets on Tuesday, March
17, at 7:00 p.m. in Tumwater. Port advisory committee member Patricia Pyle unexpectedly
passed away on February 21.

Pyle’s passing will be missed by community members in
many ways. She was in active communications with Little Hollywood about several issues important to her, including
her role as a new member of the Port’s citizen advisory committee.

Pyle was a City of Olympia senior program specialist
in the Storm and Surface Water Utility section and helped edit the StreamTeam
newsletter. She was a founding member of the South Sound Estuary Association and
the Olympia Coalition for Ecosystem Preservation, and also a member of the
Native Plant Salvage Foundation, the South Puget Environmental Education Clearinghouse
(SPEECH), and other organizations.

Her interests in being on the port’s citizen advisory
committee were many.

In her application for the Port position, Pyle wrote
that she wanted the Port to be a leader on emergency preparedness, security,
health and safety, and environmental management. As a City of Olympia employee,
she had given presentations on her knowledge of the historic shoreline.

“The Port of Olympia is an important economic driver
of our community…The hard decisions that are made by Port officials to either “ship”
or “not ship” (military equipment and fracking materials) will always have an
opposing side. In these situations, it’s important to have absolute transparency
about the decision making process and involve the community in the decision,
such as through the Port Advisory Committee….”

For directions to the next Port citizen advisory
committee meeting at 7241 Cleanwater Drive, Tumwater, go to www.portolympia.com.

Committee
Questions Answered

It took the Port of Olympia from February 19 to March 12, 15 working days, to provide answers to Little Hollywood’s three questions about the Port of Olympia's citizen advisory committee (POCAC). On March 12, Port staff member Jeri Sevier responded.

Little
Hollywood: How are the tasks for the POCAC created and assigned to the Port's
citizen advisory committee? It was clear last night (February 17) that they had
to accept the tasks, although they clearly had no enthusiasm to revisit the one
about the naming protocols. It seemed to me that the process is backwards - the
tasks should originate from the committee. Ken Adney told me that the committee,
indeed, created a list with about 20 suggested tasks that they were interested
in. Where is that list, and why are they not allowed to choose and explore
their own topics?

Port
of Olympia: The tasks are created and assigned from the
Commission to the POCAC - the POCAC is appointed by the Commission and reports
directly to the Commission.In the past
the Committee has had a list of items they've shared with the Commission to
consider when assigning tasks - see attached list, however the tasks have
always been assigned by the Commissioners therefore the Committee does not come
up with their own work plan.

Little
Hollywood: If the
public wanted to contribute ideas on a Port vision statement, or provide input
on any other task given to the committee, what would be the best way for them to
do that?

Port
of Olympia: All of the Commission and POCAC meetings are open
to the public so any citizens are welcome to observe and provide comments to the
Commission or POCAC during public comment period on the agenda. Any citizen can
also send an inquiry to the Port's inquiry email:inquiries@portolympia.comwhich will be passed along to the appropriate
Port Staff or Commissioner for a response or they may send an email directly to
the person they wish to communicate with.

The last meeting minutes for the POCAC that
I can find on the website is July 15, 2014. Was that the last meeting of 2014?
Was last night's meeting the first one of the year with new members? How often
do joint commissioner-POCAC meetings happen?

The last POCAC meeting in 2014 was August 19 which
are now uploaded on the website.The
POCAC and Commission typically have two joint meetings each year, one is
usually held at the beginning of the year to assign tasks and the other is
usually in the fall when the POCAC is usually wrapping up the tasks reporting
back to the Commission.The January
20, 2015 meeting was the first joint meeting with the newly appointed POCAC
members.Joint Commission/POCAC meeting
minutes are officially Commission meeting minutes and therefore listed on our
website under Commission Minutes.

Recommendations
for Future POCAC Assignments

Below is a list compiled on September 7, 2014 of
citizen advisory committee recommendations for work:

1. Sea Level Rise

2. Earthquake Risks

3. Military Shipments

4. Use POCAC volunteers as meeting observers or for
other individual assignments relating to public issues (like the Strategic Plan
Update in progress)

Little
Hollywood notes that for the January and
February 2015 meetings of the port’s citizen advisory committee, there was no formal
opportunity listed on the agenda for the public to speak. Janine Unsoeld did speak to the group at length in February when
introduced to the committee by Commissioner George Barner.

The meeting agenda for March 17 does list a formal
opportunity for public comment. The agenda does not mention a process for
replacing Patricia Pyle on the committee unless it is scheduled to be covered
under “Other Business.”

Four work topics for 2015 were provided to the
citizen advisory committee at their February 17 meeting: transparency, naming
protocols for Port owned facilities, vision statement, and a committee self-evaluation. For the February
22 story about that meeting, go to Little
Hollywood, www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com.

Above: Aerial of the Port of Olympia marine property and the Olympia Farmer's Market, which sits on Port property, as seen here in December 2014. Under the blue tarps is a shipment of ceramic proppants, used in hydraulic fracturing operations in the North Dakota Bakken Oil Formation. This is just one issue that greets an incoming port commissioner who will replace Commissioner Sue Gunn. Last March, Gunn cast the lone dissenting vote against seeking bids for construction of a warehouse for the shipments.

In a letter to the community on March 13, Port of
Olympia Commissioner Sue Gunn resigned for health reasons. Her full letter is
reprinted, below, in its entirety.

Little
Hollywood reached out to Commissioner Gunn twice since late
February and wishes her a full recovery.

Questions from Little
Hollywood to Port of Olympia staff on February 18 about Gunn’s absence such
as, “Should a replacement be appointed until she (Gunn) comes back?” and “What
would be the process for this?” never received a response.

Paul Pickett, 58, Olympia, an environmental engineer
who works for the State of Washington and teaches classes at The Evergreen State
College, was considering a run for the Port against Commissioner George Barner,
but recently decided against it, due to the recent, unexpected resignation of
Commissioner Sue Gunn.

“Members of the community had approached me about
running for the Port against George Barner and now Joe Downing. Their goal was
to have another Commissioner with a vision of the Port similar to Sue Gunn’s. I saw this potential race as a contest between
“business as usual” and a different vision of a Port planning for a 21st
century where our community and world is rapidly changing.

“Unfortunately, Sue’s health forced her resignation.
That leaves our community in limbo regarding what happens next. Without the
certainty that I would be working with Sue should I be so fortunate as to win
the seat, I’ve decided to end my planning for a possible campaign.

“The community should monitor the next steps
closely. Many questions remain. Who will step up to apply for the vacant
position? Will George Barner and Bill McGregor agree on the candidate to fill
the seat? If they don’t, who would the County Commissioners pick? And who will
file in May to run for election to fill the final two years of that position?

“There are discussions roaring through community
networks about this situation. We shall see how it shakes out,” says Pickett.

Petition
to Port

One person who decided to make her voice known is
Sherri Goulet, who is circulating an informal petition requesting that Port
Commissioners George Barner and Bill McGregor appoint someone who shares the
values and vision of Gunn and her supporters.

“We have about 10 days to gather as many signers as
possible. I am beyond sad to lose Commissioner Gunn at the Port,” says petition
organizer Sherri Goulet, Olympia.

“Since we don’t have a Move On type petition vehicle
online and since we have a very short time frame, we’re doing it the old
fashioned way.If people email me that
they wish to be included on the list of signatories, then they are
included.It’s not a formal petition
that will be used in a legal fashion; it’s a statement of the facts, expressing
support for Commissioner Gunn with a request that voters be included in the
selection process for her replacement. The petition was created with a group
process.We did our best to convey the
facts with perhaps a little editorializing included. Signatures will be solicited
through Friday, March 20, and will be presented at the Port meeting on March 23,”
says Goulet.

Those who would like to be added to the petition can
email her at shardon@comcast.net.

“Send me an email saying that you wish your name to
be on the petition and pass this petition on to those you know who care about
the environment, transparency in government and judicious use of taxpayer funds,
and be thinking about a replacement for Sue—someone in District 3 who would be
willing to run for her position,” says Goulet.

The petition reads:

Port
Commissioner Sue Gunn was elected by the voters of Thurston County in November,
2013, beginning her term in January, 2014.She’s been a strong advocate for an environmentally responsible port and
has worked diligently to improve the Port’s relationship with the public,
increase transparency, make the budget more comprehensible to all, apply Port
funds more equitably across the county, support the Farmers Market and
agriculture in Thurston County and see that a thorough analysis accompanies any
decisions.These are the issues she
campaigned and won on, and she has been doing what she promised.

Currently
Commissioner Gunn is recovering from open heart surgery.In what appeared to many to be an effort to
remove Sue Gunn from the Port Commission, Commissioner McGregor refused to
excuse her from the February 27, 2015 Port meeting, saying she’d been absent
“long enough.”The failure to excuse a
Commissioner from a meeting is a procedural maneuver that started a clock on a
presumed 60-day deadline for Sue Gunn to return or be eliminated from the
Commission.

Commissioner
McGregor’s action was surprising, as there had been no direct communication
with her from the Port.In addition,
this procedure was not invoked with the extended absence of Commissioner Barner
several years ago.This unprecedented
maneuver occurred just when Commissioner Gunn had begun to recover from a
series of health events following her surgery.We denounce this act as not only lacking compassion, but also as
undoubtedly causing increased stress to Commissioner Gunn.

The
idea that one Commissioner attempted to undo the results of a democratic
election is appalling.Commissioner
McGregor’s action undermines the voters’ will.Although Commissioner Gunn has now announced her resignation, a personal
choice driven by her health, Commissioner McGregor’s action remains
unacceptable to us.

We
strongly request that Commissioners Barner and McGregor involve the supporters
of Sue Gunn in choosing an appointee who represents the views and values of the
voters who put Commissioner Gunn in office.

Gunn’s
Letter to the Community

Port Commissioner Gunn’s full statement, in her open
letter to the voters of Thurston County distributed on Friday, March 13, is as
follows:

Thank you for electing me over a year ago to the
Commission of the Port of Olympia.During that time, I have tried to serve your interests by working to
make the Port an economic engine for all of Thurston County and to improve the
transparency of Port operations and finances.

I have also worked to uncover faulty logic that has
supported fiscally unwise decisions that would require taxpayers to subsidize
expensive projects.One example is the
proposed construction of a fuel dock that would negatively impact existing
local businesses that sell fuel, such as Boston Harbor Marina and Zittles
without a return on investment for the taxpayers.

Environmental sustainability has been a high
priority for me.Importing fracking sand
headed for the infamous Bakken oil field has been a primary concern.With your help, we were able to force the
Port to do the appropriate environmental studies prior to attempting to expand
that operation and run more rail cars through Olympia.

In an effort to have your voices heard, I have been
a strong proponent of strategic planning with extensive outreach into the
community.This type of outreach has not
been done since 1996 and is long overdue at this public institution.Strategic planning is the path to new
economic development endeavors by the Port, such as supporting
agriculture.I have also endeavored to
create new oversight committees, one for the Marine Terminal and one for the
Airport, to improve relationships between these enterprises and the community.

I regret to inform you that I have decided to resign
from my position on the Commission effective April 1, 2015, to allow myself the
time I need to heal from recent heart surgery and associated
complications.There has been
considerable pressure on me from the Port, and from one of the Commissioners,
to return rapidly, which is not conducive to the extensive healing needed.It’s necessary to take the time required to
recover from this complex medical event.

If these ideas resonate with you, my hope is that
you, the voters, will continue to articulate these priorities to the Port and
insist that thorough analysis and accurate reporting accompany all Port
decisions and that the Port find new, sustainable economic opportunities in the
county.

Thank you for your past support and for all the good
wishes I have received since undergoing my surgery.